Privately owned spacecraft heads toward ISS

Cygnus will bring cargo to the space station

A new U.S. cargo ship is chasing down the International Space Station after a successful launch of its maiden flight Wednesday morning from Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

Orbital Sciences Corp.’s unmanned Cygnus is on course to reach the outpost early Sunday and become the second privately operated vehicle to accomplish that feat, along with SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, which launches from Cape Canaveral.

“This is the way of the future,” said Frank Culbertson, Orbital executive vice president.

“This is how we’re going to have to operate going forward in order to maintain a robust space program, and I think we’re demonstrating it can be done.”

The demonstration mission is the final step in a public-private partnership under which NASA has helped Orbital and SpaceX develop rockets and spacecraft to resupply the station after the space shuttle’s retirement.

The space agency provided advice and a combined $684 million to the two companies, including up to $288 million for Dulles, Va.-based Orbital.

Orbital’s 13-story Antares rocket blasted off at 10:58 a.m. from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island to start what NASA called a picture-perfect flight.